


The Flip Side

by orphan_account



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Alive!Lewis, Angst, Arthur dies AU, But nothing rly graphic, F/M, Gen, Lots of it, Mild Language, Mystery, also, also self hate, dead!Arthur, ghost!arthur, literally for everyone actually, maybe in the later chapters, redemption!!!, self-hate, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-06-02 18:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6577774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know the story. The demon feeds off the coward's jealousy and kills his best friend. The girl forgets the ghost's existence.</p><p>But in another time, the story is changed. The demon chose another, much more interesting victim. After all, wouldn't it be much better story if the coward fell?</p><p>Alternatively: In which Lewis pushes Arthur off the cliff and everything goes to shit.</p><p>Edit: Rewrite in my profile!!</p><p>Changed summary as of 4/25/16.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Enter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vivi sighed and looked at the apartment that loomed over them. It was strange. An apartment in the middle of the forest? The glass windows were glowing with orange light, yet the place looked abandoned. Some windows were cracked, the others broken. The door looked as if someone forced it open. It's hinges were broken, but there was light, so maybe there was someone inside. "Guess we'd have stay the night." Vivi muttered.

It was just going to be a joyride, really. Lewis and Vivi were just going to have a date, but no. GPS decided not to work properly. No one could really blame the couple. Lewis was missing an arm, and therefore cannot drive, and Vivi had no idea how roads worked.

"You turn left! No, left! Left! Vivi, oh my god!"

"Vivi, we just passed my house for the enth time!"

"Where are we?"

But Vivi still knew how to drive. She wasn't reckless, only ignorant.

So why was the car speeding towards the trees surrounding them?

Lewis screamed for his life. Very cowardly of him. Kind of like Arth-

_No, don't think about him._ Lewis thought to himself, gripping the side of his seat.

_CRASH!_

"Shit!" Lewis said, exiting the car. He looked at the damage from their drive; it was pretty bad. And by pretty bad I mean the car is wrecked. "My parents are going to kill me! I mean, we could always take it to Unc- I mean Lance- for repairs, but we're too far away from the shop."

Vivi sighed and looked at the apartment that loomed over them. It was strange. An apartment in the middle of the forest? The glass windows were glowing with orange light, yet the place looked abandoned. Some windows were cracked, the others broken. The door looked as if someone forced it open. It's hinges were broken, but there was light, so maybe there was someone inside. "Guess we'd have stay the night." Vivi muttered.

"Are you crazy?" Lewis said, taking his head out of the car. "That place looks creepy."

"What's up with you, anyway?" Vivi asked, concern evident in her voice. "We used to go to places like this all the time. Ever since the cave, you've been a little distant."

"Well, if you don't want to go in, fine. Mystery, come on." She said, turning to the building. The dog was hesitant, but shared a look with the amputee. It was the look that read, 'Don't argue with her'.

'I sense lots of spiritual energy in this place. It's dangerous inside, but it would do you no good to stay here. It's better to just stick together.'

Mystery said to Lewis via their spiritual link. Mystery had suggested they have one after Lewis... lost his arm, so Mystery would know whenever Lewis would be in danger. However, it also came with the effect of feeling everything the other felt. At Mystery's statement, Lewis internally groaned.

'Can't you do something?' He pleaded.

'I'm a demon fox, not a miracle worker.'

'That's the same thing in our situation!'

'Vivi's looking at us strangely. Stop that.'

Lewis grumbled in defeat. Mystery was right. Vivi was staring at the two of them, confused. She had no idea what Mystery was. _And is_ , Lewis corrected himself. Lewis walked up to Vivi begrudgingly, not really wanting to go in. Lewis looked at Mystery expectantly, despite knowing the kitsune wouldn't be able to do anything.

"Glad to see you're on board." Vivi said, grinning. "I expected you'd sit this one out, actually, but hey, it's great to see you finally stop moping around and actually come with me for once!"

"Who could say no to that face?" Lewis teased. Vivi giggled and kissed Lewis on the cheek. "Come on. Let's just go in." She said.

Vivi kicked the door down, and looked around the seemingly empty apartment. "Hell-o?" She asked.

"Hello, hello, hello..." Her own voice greeted her. Her voice echoed around the halls. "Huh." Vivi said. "No one's home."

At that moment, the door beneath the investigator began to shake. Vivi took a step backwards. The door suddenly sped up towards the entrance, the broken hinges repairing itself to the once broken door. The impact knocked Vivi off her feet. "Oof!"

"Whoa!" Lewis exclaimed, lending out his hand to his girlfriend. "That was a close one."

Vivi gladly took his took his hand. "Thanks."

"Let me see if I can still open this thing." She walked up to the door, trying to pry it off.

"Oh yeah, a ghost would just leave the door unlocked for us to escape." Lewis said, sarcasm in his voice. Vivi glared at him teasingly and he smirked in response.

"Hey! You never know! And how do you know this place is haunted?"

"Abandoned building, flying doors, it _was_ pretty obvious, Vivi."

Vivi elbowed him, laughing as she did so. "Come on. Let's explore this place a little." She said, walking up to the empty lobby. An empty receptionist's table stood there collecting dust, with an orange couch as a waiting area. A hallway to the right led to a broken elevator and staircase.

Lewis and Vivi slowly began to creep closer to the hall, afraid that if they made one wrong move, they would trigger a trap. As they passed the elevator, it suddenly lit up, and opened its doors to the duo, eerie orange mist coming from the elevator. The inside wasn't as rundown or as broken as the rest of the apartment; in fact, it was the opposite.

The floor had an intricate design of orange and red flowers, with purple thorns and blue roses. Half of the walls had mirrors, with wooden railings that were just a dark shade of brown, but not too dark. The other half had orange walls in a design similar to bedroom wallpapers. It was elegant.

Alarms were ringing in Lewis' head. He shouldn't go in. The colors reminded him of someone. Red, purple, blue... Orange. Oh god. Oh no. Not now. He wasn't ready. He tried to move back, away from the open doors, but for some reason, his body moved not of his own will, but seemingly as if a puppeteer was controlling his limbs.

He hated the feeling.

He took a step forward, trying his best at resisting the control. It wasn't a full on possession, no. The ghost didn't want his body; the ghost only wanted Lewis to enter the elevator. Vivi stopped him, saying, "Wait. It could be a trap." She took a piece of debris from the floor and tossed it to the elevator, and when nothing happened, she shrugged. "Guess it's safe."

_"_ It's not," Lewis muttered, his words silent enough for Vivi not to hear him, and approached the elevator. He glanced at Mystery, and Lewis didn't need the link to know what Mystery was thinking.

They were thinking the exact same thing.

As soon as Lewis entered, the doors of the elevator snapped shut, sealing the amputee inside.

The thoughts of their minds synced. They knew exactly who did this, and why.

' _Arthur_.'


	2. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What a lovely reunion between two old friends."

"Lewis?" Vivi asked, banging her fist on the elevator doors. She shouldn't of have let Lewis enter! But it seemed so safe... "Lewis!"

"I'm fine, Vivi!" Lewis shouted back from inside the elevator.

"Fine-!" Vivi began. Mystery stepped forward, motioning for her to shut up. The dog was always mysteriously intelligent, which is where he got his name.

Mystery nuzzled the doors worriedly. He barked softly, sending a wave of reassurance to the human stuck within the elevator.

"Vivi, don't worry about me. Look for another way out, I'll try to find my own way." Lewis said.

"But what if you don't?" Vivi asked.

"Then call for help."

Vivi groaned. "Okay, Pepper, but if we get out of this alive, you better get me something."

Lewis laughed, and despite being in a life or death scenario, Vivi liked that the guy still found amusement in what she said. Ever since that night... Lewis has been distant, more tense, and... A little sad. She understood his pain, obviously. Who wouldn't miss their own arm? But, Vivi had a feeling his sadness went deeper than just the loss of an arm.

The loss of a loved one, maybe?

But that was crazy. The only ones in the cave that day were Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery.

Unless... Lewis was hiding something.

"Like what?" Lewis' voice snapped Vivi out of her thoughts. "A free dinner at Pepper Paradiso? Come on, Vivi. My parents would kill me if I let you eat for free. Isn't that 50% discount enough for you?"

She laughed half-heartedly, her mind still thinking about the cave. "Well, now that you ask, Mr. Lewis Pepper..."

"Vivi!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sheesh, can't a girl have some fun, Lew?" Vivi chuckled. Would Lewis be hiding something? Of course not. After the cave, Lewis was hesitant and more nervous, but he still trusted her with everything, and she trusted him! But still... Vivi couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong here.

"You really can't have fun when your boyfriend is in danger of death, Vivi." Lewis replied. "And I thought I told you to look for another way..."

"You did," Vivi said. "And I was just about to, until you distracted me."

"You distracted yourself."

"Did not!"

"Vivi, you're just using this as an excuse to not leave, aren't you?" Lewis sighed. "Please, just go. I'll be fine."

Vivi frowned, but gestured for Mystery to follow her. The dog looked back at the elevator worriedly, but followed, regardless. "Okay, then, Lewis. But be careful, okay?"

"I will."

 

* * *

 

The sound of Vivi's footsteps grew quieter and quieter as she left Lewis alone to himself. "Okay, Lewis, now how do you get out of this one..." He muttered.

He looked around the elevator, trying look for any weak points within the corners. Nothing.

Then suddenly, Lewis blinked, and found himself somewhere else.

The cave, of course. If Lewis wasn't completely terrified out of his wits he would make a sarcastic remark regarding Kingsmen's originality.

Still, the eerie, green cave brought back horrible memories. The feeling of suddenly being invaded by some malevolent spirit... It felt cold and sick. It was an experience Lewis could not even begin to describe.

There was something wrong with this image of the cave, however. In his memories, in his _nightmares_ , of that night, he stood behind Arthur, and that was when that sickening demonic entity suddenly took over, plaguing his mind, telling him to _push_ his best friend.

This time, he found that Arthur was behind him, cowering in fear.

"Huh, pretty cool stalagmites, huh, Art?" Lewis heard himself say. It felt so natural to say that, as if he was really in that situation. He went a little closer to the edge of the cliff, looking at the rock spires ascending from the floor of the cavern. "It would probably hurt a lot if someone were to fall..."

Then he heard a laugh from behind him. A familiar demonic rumble.

"Yes..." Lewis heard Arthur (or was it?) say. "It _**WOULD**_!"

He suddenly felt a force, a _hand_ , pushing his back, forcing him to fall down the cavern below. All at once, he felt the feelings of shock, confusion, and betrayal. "Arthur-!"

He heard the damn deranged lunatic laugh again as he fell, reaching out to _anyone_ , to save him.

But nobody came.

When the stalagmite that seemed so far away finally pierce his chest, everything finally sank in.

Arthur pushed him.

His best friend.

His best _goddamn_ friend.

How could he?! Lewis treated him like a brother, Lewis trusted Arthur with his life!

In that moment, as he began to lose control of his body, as he was _dying_ , he turned his head weakly, and saw _her._

Beautiful blue eyes and hair.

Oh sweet Vivi... She doesn't deserve this. His expression softened, and with his dying breath, he muttered, "Forget me."

And as he closed his eyes, finally accepting death...

His warm violet eyes snapped open once more, in front of a glowing orange coffin.

At first, he was confused. He was supposed to be dead, wasn't he...? Arthur pushed him.

It all then came rushing back to him, that he wasn't dead. He was alive.

 _He_ was the one who pushed Arthur, not the other way around.

Lewis took a shaky breath as he stared at the coffin in front of him. He stood up, carefully, due to him lacking a left arm. He walked towards it, despite all his instincts screaming for him to _run_ , to get out of there!

But hey, Lewis was sick of hiding. He was sick of running.

He was never like this before. He used to be brave. Emphasis on _used to_.

But now he'd finally face his greatest fear.

His biggest regret.

The casket pulsed and glowed softly. Lewis felt his heart race as he approached it, ready to face the worst.

He tapped it lightly.

Nothing.

He tried prying it open. Nothing, either.

Seconds, minutes, hell, maybe even hours, passed, and Lewis was beginning to think that maybe this was all just a hallucination. A dream. He'd be back in the van, with Vivi, and forced to live the rest of his life guilty and not being able to tell his girlfriend the truth.

Lewis tried to force it open, then the coffin suddenly creaked open slightly, a hand grabbing Lewis' own. It took all of his willpower not to scream.

The rest of the coffin door opened, revealing a skeleton clad in a black vest, a star beating close to him. It glowed purple, but every so often it would emanate a soft blue light, or a red glow.

"Lewis." The ghost hissed. His hand let go of Lewis', then raising a finger, Lewis was suddenly brought to his feet, rather painfully, and he found that he was floating in midair, as the ghost's hand directed Lewis' body where he wanted the human to be. He flicked his wrist, causing Lewis to crash into the back of the room.

"Augh!" Lewis howled, a bolt of pain shooting up his spine.

The skeleton walked up to Lewis, and used his telekinesis to bring the human back up in the air, orange eyes burning with hatred boring into Lewis' purple irises. Bright amber flames on its head flickered and burned brightly, and it was probably what served as the ghost's hair.

"What a lovely reunion between two old _friends_." The ghost spat out the word like it was venom, and Lewis couldn't help but flinch at the dead man's hostile tone.

Lewis looked away, anything to get away from those _eyes_ , those eyes that once looked at him with such happiness, those eyes that now stared at him with blind rage and fury.

"Look at me."

He didn't avert his gaze.

"I said _look at me_ , god dammit!"

Lewis' head was forced to snap back to face the ghost, who was now glaring at him with all the skeleton could muster. "Didn't anyone teach you manners?"

Lewis didn't reply. "Speechless?" The ghost growled. "Don't worry, we've got all day in this place."

"Arthur, I…" Lewis began, before Arthur cut him off.

"You're what? Sorry?" Arthur scoffed. "Ha, what a joke. We both know that if given the chance you would've gotten rid of me way before the cave, Pepper."

"That's not true!" Lewis exclaimed. "I-!"

"I don't want to hear your bullshit, Pepper." Arthur growled. "You murdered me, your _best_ friend, by accident?"

Lewis almost said yes, but shut his mouth. He did not want to anger Arthur any further than the ghost already was. He was already hellbent on killing Lewis.

"Forget about trying to talk your way out of this one, Lewis. I saw you. You pushed me. Do you really think I'd forget that easily, that I'd _move on_?" Arthur shook his head, before bringing Lewis closer to him. "I'm not the same cowardly pushover I was, Lewis. I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done."

Lewis felt a shiver run down his spine. Arthur let go of his hold of Lewis body. The human came crashing down, a bead of sweat trickling down his face. The ghost leaned closer to him, cupping his face, and whispered, "I'm going to enjoy making you suffer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post my Mystery Skulls fanfiction here on ao3 since I just got a new account. Chapter 1 is absolutely horrible because I wrote it, what? Last January? Ew. Ugh, well, I'll rewrite this someday. Hopefully. ALSO OH MY GOD FREAKING OUT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT YET GO WATCH IT. NOW. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOURE MISSING.
> 
> This is Chapter 2! This actually took me 3 months to write, not gonna lie. Technically I finished it a long time ago, but I couldn't end it properly until very recently. I hope ya'll enjoy.


	3. Smol Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m Vivi.” She introduced herself. She shouldn’t really be all that trusting of the small ghost, but she couldn’t help it! Besides, maybe it could help her find Lewis! “Do you think you could help us find our friend?”

Mystery often wondered what would have happened had things gone differently that night. What if Arthur had survived? What if he had not arrived in time? What if they had been separated differently? All of these were questions that did not matter, he supposed. What's done is done. All he had to look forward to now was the future. And now? The future was pretty bleak.

For some reason, where Mystery would feel Lewis' familiar presence in his mind, it was empty. Every time he would try to reach out to the amputee, a strong magical force would block him out, which proved difficult when trying to find him. Luckily for the kitsune, Lewis' magical presence was strong enough to leave traces.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t _feel_ Lewis. He could. It was just that every time he tried to contact Lewis, the strange mystical force would, ahem, _force_ him out.

The human may not know it, but the reason why Mystery was able to maintain such contact with him was the fact he was not only strong physically, but spiritually as well. Had Arthur's and Lewis' places been switched that night in the cave, the kitsune was sure that Arthur's already fragile state of mind would not be able to handle the truth. He would have forced Arthur to forget, but since Mystery wasn't skilled in that form of magic, it would have left fragments and pieces of the memories in Arthur's mind. Besides, he already used enough of that on Vivi.

Mystery didn't want to do it at first, but how was he going to explain the fact that Lewis killed Arthur? No, it was better this way. She would only hurt more if she remembered Arthur.

Still, he wondered if it really was for the best. Lewis had to live on with the knowledge that he killed his best friend. Vivi would have nightmares. And Mystery's own resolve was slipping.

How much longer before Vivi would find out?

She would hate him, for sure. But Mystery was only trying to protect her.

Had Arthur's and Lewis' places been switched that night, he was sure that Lewis would have done the same.

“Mystery, this place is starting to freak me out.” Vivi muttered. Mystery nodded in agreement, but continued on Lewis' trail. Vivi hadn't bothered to look for an exit. She refused to leave until she found Lewis, and of course, Mystery had no choice on the matter.

He briefly considered using some of _her_ magic, but the idea was too risky. He decided to use the faint pulse of Lewis’ own magic, as difficult as it was. Fortunately Lewis wasn’t far off. He was somewhere below the building.

Mystery nudged Vivi with his nose, getting the investigator’s attention. “What is it, Mystery?”

The dog pointed his paw down, hoping Vivi would understand. If she didn’t, well, he could always say it and remove her memory afterwards, even if Mystery hated the idea of having to remove her memories again.

Vivi seemed to consider this for a second. “I guess we can take the stairs to get down, but we just can’t barge in there without a weapon in our arsenal.”

Mystery was about to retort with bark, but Vivi ignored him.

She looked around, and spotted an emergency axe on the wall. The glass case surrounding it was cracked, and fortunately for Vivi, it was broken enough that she could get the axe without punching the glass herself.

Grabbing the axe, she turned towards Mystery. “Okay, let’s do this!”

 

* * *

 

Thank goodness for Mystery’s amazing tracking skills. Some say it would be unnatural to have that kind of proficiency at tracking people. But Vivi never questioned it. Well, she did, once, but she eventually figured out that _maybe_ Mystery really is a normal dog with really _really_ questionable origins. How long had Vivi had Mystery? Uh… since she was 3. Okay, she _always_ questioned it, but every time she would try to investigate, she would suddenly lose all her research and forget everything.

That wasn’t normal.

Anyway, that wasn’t the point. The important thing to do now is to find Lewis, kick that ghost’s butt, and drive the heck out of here! And to do that, she needed to get down the stairs.

As soon as she got to the door of the emergency stairs, a small white ghost blocked her way. It was so tiny Vivi was sure it could fit in her hand. And it was definitely cute. It wasn’t creepy or anything. It looked like a small sheet ghost, with two small beady eyes staring back at her in interest.

And it wore a black bowtie.

So. Cute.

“Uh, hey there, lil fella!” Vivi greeted, still a little tense but not as much as before. Mystery growled at the small ghost, who simply cocked its head to the side, making a small sound that Vivi understood as confusion.

“I’m Vivi.” She introduced herself. She shouldn’t really be all that trusting of the small ghost, but she couldn’t help it! Besides, maybe it could help her find Lewis! “Do you think you could help us find our friend?”

The ghost nodded. Vivi smiled. “His name is Lewis Pepper, do you think you can find him?”

Mystery looked at Vivi as if she just committed the worst offense in the world. The small ghost nodded, and flew into the door, intending to lead them to their friend. Vivi had no other choice, besides, this ghost seemed friendly enough, right?

She opened the door, her dog following close behind. He was even more tense than Vivi was. But when she entered, there were no stairs that could possibly lead them down. The ghost was smiling at them, and Vivi asked, “Uh, this is a dead end.”

The ghost simply smiled wider, and pointed down, and where the floor once was, there was a gaping hole, causing Vivi and Mystery to fall down the hole that appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” She screamed. The ghost flew down to their level, trying to catch up with them as their fall grew faster and faster. It seemed proud of what it had done. If she gets out of this alive, she was never going to trust little cute ghosts again.

Mystery looked unimpressed. “I’m sorry, Mystery!” Vivi shouted. Mystery rolled his eyes. “Come on, if we make it out alive I’m giving you twice, no, thrice the treats you have weekly!”

Mystery seemed to consider this, before finally pouting and looking at the small ghost flying with them. The ghost looked at Vivi, until Mystery caught its eye. They locked eyes, and the ghost seemed to shiver, hiding behind Vivi for comfort.

Vivi looked at Mystery with a questioning look. The dog just shrugged and looked away.

They continued to fall in silence. Vivi couldn’t help but let her thoughts drift towards the ghost that haunted this building. It was obvious that this small ghost wasn’t the one that dominated the place. It didn’t radiate enough magic. No, the ghost that lay in this building was much, much worse.

She only hoped that they got to Lewis on time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WROTE THIS IN LIKE 2 HOURS IM SORRY expect next chap in like a few days im kinda inspired i guess idk ???? aLSO THIS IS A POOR EXCUSE OF STICKING TO CANON IM SORRY


	4. The Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lewis was afraid. Not for himself, no. Maybe a little, but Lewis was more afraid for Vivi. If Arthur hurts her, then, well, forget about trying to talk sense into the ghost. “W-what the hell do you want with Vivi?!” He cried.

Arthur looked at his murderer scornfully. Silence fell between them, neither of the two speaking for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, he said, “I’ll give you one last chance to talk your way out of this one, Pepper, since you seem so keen on the idea.”

Lewis opened his mouth to talk, but said nothing. “Come on, Lewis!” he snapped at the amputee. “Do it for you good ol’ _pal_ , Arthur.”

Lewis sighed, looking at Arthur in defeat. For a few seconds, the human said nothing, and Arthur thought he was going to have to taunt the man again, until Lewis said, “I know nothing I’ll say will change your mind, Arthur, but… I’m sorry. I know you won’t forgive me, ever, but hey, I just… thought I’d throw that out there.”

Arthur didn’t reply. He was furious at Lewis, sure. He wanted to make him pay. But now, for some _goddamn_ reason, he wasn’t doing anything. It was like fate decided to fuck with him and give Arthur all this anger, constantly feeding it every moment and every second of his prolonged existence, and when he was finally given the prize he longed to destroy, he did nothing but stand there, glaring at Lewis.

“ _What a joke_.” A voice hissed at him. It was a familiar voice, one that Arthur always found a little irksome. “ _You say you aren’t the same man you once were, but look at you. Not even able to exact revenge on your murderer. Your_ best friend. _If I were you, he’d be dead already_.”

“Shut up.” He snapped back. Lewis raised a brow in confusion. Arthur paid him no heed. He’d be dead in a while, so who cares if he hears what he thinks is a one-sided conversation?

“ _You really are pathetic. You keep delaying and delaying, he’ll find a way to escape at the rate you’re going_.”

“Fine.” Arthur whispered. He was about to address the amputee when a ghost flew towards him, his eyes panicked and looking around frantically.

“Thomas, how nice of you to join us.” Arthur drawled, annoyed he was interrupted. “Now what exactly is urgent enough that you needed to tell me yourself at this very moment?”

The ghost shook in fear of Arthur’s wrath. Thomas knew it was incredibly dangerous to butt into Arthur’s business like this, but he was never the receiving end of the skeleton’s anger. He only heard stories of the other ghosts, all of whom much older than he was, who tried to test Arthur’s patience and ended up, well, _deader_. Thomas pushed up his glasses, and tried to regain his composure.

“W-well, s-sir, me and my buddies w-were hanging a-around the corridors, y-y’know, our u-usual routine, and w-well, I, uh, sir-”

“Just get to the point, will you?” He snapped. He was getting impatient. For one, Arthur never really minded Thomas. He was just one of the many ghosts that lived here that Arthur offered shelter and a place to haunt in exchange for their help, unlike the small little ghosts that Arthur liked to call his ghostlings. One thing that Arthur never really noticed until now, when he actually talked to Thomas, was the way he stuttered, the way he was just so damn _afraid_ of Arthur. It reminded Arthur so much of himself. And he hated it.

It served as a reminder that no matter what he tried to tell himself, he was the same spineless kid who was weak enough to be pushed around. Literally and figuratively.

“W-we saw one of your g-ghostlings come a-across that blue-haired girl y-you sometimes mention… What was her name? V-Vicky?”

“ _Vivi_.” Arthur corrected. He dismissed Thomas, and went to face Lewis, who was looking at Arthur, white-faced.

 

* * *

 

 

Lewis was afraid. Not for himself, no. Maybe a little, but Lewis was more afraid for Vivi. If Arthur hurts her, then, well, forget about trying to talk sense into the ghost. “W-what the hell do you want with Vivi?!” He cried.

Arthur’s head quickly turned to face Lewis, eyes narrowing. The flame on his head flickered and flared up as the star pulsed to an unheard rhythm. He snapped his fingers, chains materializing on Lewis’ arm and legs.

“ _Stay here_.” Arthur said, his voice thick with resentment and the tone of voice was the same one he used on Thomas. The tone of someone used to giving out orders, not taking them. It goes without saying that Arthur was the head of this place.

But Lewis did not plan on listening to Arthur. He had to get to Vivi before Arthur got to her.

He looked at the chains restraining him. Obviously, they were designed to open with magic. And was Lewis a wizard? Of course not. But he did have an advantage. Something, or someone, Arthur doesn’t know about.

Mystery.

He closed his eyes, trying to feel for Mystery. Once he felt the kitsune’s familiar dominating presence in his mind, he noticed something was off. The connection was blocked. He couldn’t contact Mystery. Mystery can’t contact him. He took a deep breath, trying to find the source of magic that was obstructing their access to one another.

And then he found it.

The magic blocking his mind from reaching out to the kitsune. It felt similar to the magic that Arthur possessed to enchain him in place. _Or maybe it is the same magic_ , he thought bitterly. But the thing that worried Lewis the most wasn’t his blocked connection, no.

In order for Arthur to even block to connection, he had to know that a mental link such as this existed, and who put in place. That concerned Lewis. Did he know Mystery was a kitsune…? If he did, how did he figure it out?

 

* * *

 

Vivi landed on the ground with a thud. “Ow…” She mumbled, rubbing her back.

Mystery had fallen before her, but it didn’t look like the dog was hurt as much as she was. He was glaring at the small ghost from earlier, and the ghost tried to avoid Mystery’s gaze as much as it can. When it saw Vivi finally land, it smiled and flew towards her, tugging on her scarf to follow it.

Vivi stood up, a little mad at the ghost, but her worry for her boyfriend was even greater than her annoyance. The ghost led her to a long hallway, doors lining each side. Like an apartment, the doors each had plaques, but instead of numbers, it had words.

“Framed,” She mumbled, looking at a door. “Abigail Kaleman.” Each door had a different word, with a name on the bottom of each word.

“Poisoned, Francis Bennet,” She read. “Choked, Harry Brooks. Crashed, Catherine Foster.” She looked at the ghost, and asked, “Is this how they died?”

The ghost nodded, and continued along the corridor.

_Hanged, Allan Victor. Explosion, Tiana Oak. Stabbed, Anya Harrison. Bullied, Thomas Gardner._

The walls of the hallway were covered in orange wallpaper. Beside each door was a table with a vase of flowers, each flower a different kind. They all seemed to be color-coded and no two flowers were the same. (If Vivi had been paying closer attention, she would have noticed the lack of purple and pink flowers.) When she reached out to touch a vase of red lilies, a voice from the end of the hall caused Vivi’s head to turn around and look for the source of the voice.

“…I’m just sayin’, Tom, you gotta tell her how you feel, man!” The voice said. Another, quieter, and more reserved voice spoke up, his words would have been too quiet to hear had Vivi not listened carefully.

“I-I’m not like you, Allan. Besides, s-she’s not even single…” the voice replied.

Allan scoffed. The silhouettes of three ghosts, the third ghost not talking and simply listening to the other two argue, were getting nearer as they continued to bicker. Vivi tried to look for a place to hide, but it wasn’t even needed as when the trio saw her, they immediately hid into the doors, all except for the shy and anxious ghost who flew to the end of the room, disappearing into the biggest door at the end of the hall.

The small ghost flew towards that direction, waiting for Vivi to follow. When she reached the door, there were two tables beside it, each having a vase of orange flowers in it. The plaque read:

_Pushed  
Arthur Kingsmen_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO boy !!! I said a few days but that was a little over a week but whatever, right? I kinda stole the doors thing from a couple of other stories, but I forgot the titles of those fics. If you wrote a fic with something similar to this I am so sorry.


	5. Red, red, red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this time, she would remember him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: I'm not going to update this anymore after this. I'm going to rewrite this and upload it as soon as it's done. The first few chapters of this was pretty bad and I was so busy with schoolwork that I forgot where I was going with this. This is all I wrote of Chapter Five and I'm only uploading this so you'll at least know what happened. Life's been busy and I wasn't able to write. Really sorry for being inactive for so long.

She had forgotten him.

Arthur knew that. He wanted her to remember, but she was under some kind of… _spell_. He couldn’t lift it, it was too powerful a spell for a ghost like him. But Arthur didn’t care. Right now, all he needed to do was to see her one last time before finishing the job.

Hopefully this time, she would remember him.

He watched her with a pensive gaze. It was now or never.

Forgetting his anger, Arthur approached her, his star beating slowly. Its bright purple dimmed down to a gentle blue, the light hitting it in a way that reminded him of Vivi’s eyes when she talked about the paranormal, her eyes sparkling in excitement and innocence.

Long forgotten feelings bubbled up inside him. She was beautiful, and he loved her. But she didn’t love him back.

Even if he did kill Lewis, he knew Vivi would never look at him that way.

He stood behind her, and put a hand on her shoulder hesitantly. “Vivi.”

The paranormal investigator whipped her head around, and _god_ , Arthur could gaze into those sapphire eyes forever.

They were so blue.

Blue. The color of her eyes ( _full of sadness_ ).

Vivi’s eyes widened and she took a step away from Arthur. Her eyes gazed at him as if she recognized him, please, recognize me-

“It’s you.” She whispered.

Time seemed to slow as Vivi said those words. Everything and anything seemed to stop. The ghost barely even noticed the dog behind Vivi, growling as Arthur approached her. He didn’t notice the small ghost floating beside her. He didn’t notice the axe Vivi held in her hand, holding it in against of her chest protectively. “Yes, it’s me.” He said.

“Arthur, right?” Vivi asked, looking at the side.

“Y-yes, I’m Arthur.” He replied. “You- you remember me?”

Vivi looked to the side before saying, “Yes.”. He didn’t notice the way she slowly backed away.

“You were the ghost from the hospital.”

All at once, all of Arthur’s hopes shattered into tiny little pieces. No. She didn’t remember. How could she? It was hopeless.

 _Just like you_ , the nagging voice in his head whispered.

“Oh, yeah.” Arthur sighed. “Right. The hospital.”

So she still didn’t remember. The small ghost with Vivi cooed and flew towards Arthur, comforting the ghost.

“Thank you, Aide.” Arthur murmured, petting the ghostling subconsciously before dismissing the small creature.

Arthur’s eyes looked away from Vivi, finally noticing the dog growling protectively behind her.

As he met the dog’s eyes, memories rushed through him. Forgotten pieces of his life replayed so quickly and effortlessly that the rush nearly sent him toppling over.

_“His name is Mystery!”_

_“Heh, you’re pretty smart for a dog, huh?”_

_“He’s a dirty liar.”_

The blue star flared up, the color changing to red. _Red, red, red_. It was all he saw when he fell, his body crashing into a stalagmite, red everywhere.

_Red. The color of blood._

He growled, hands balling into fists as Vivi stepped even further back, his hands aflame with orange fire.

_Red. The color of anger._

The dog was barking at Arthur, stepping back to hide behind Vivi. _Ha, pathetic. He really thinks she’ll protect him from you, Arthur?_

_Red. The color of the one responsible for all this._

The color of _Mystery_.

 _Make him pay,_ the voice whispered.

He didn’t object.

 

* * *

 

  
Mystery backed away from the raging ghost, ears drooping as Arthur began to approach him, eyes that had looked at Vivi so gently now focused on him and full of anger. The rage emanating from the ghost was enough to make Mystery shiver.

“ _You_.” Arthur growled. “You did this.”

It seemed so off that the voice of the one Mystery always knew to be timid and afraid was so full of anger and hate.

Mystery desperately wanted to speak up and explain to Arthur. He wanted to explain what truly happened that night, he wanted to say sorry for all the wrong he’s done.

But he knew he didn’t deserve Arthur’s forgiveness. How could he? All he’s done to the ghost was lie and hide his memory from Vivi. All he’s done was run away from his problems and try to forget everything. 


End file.
